Subluminal Drives of Five Earths
While the name given to these drives is "Space-warp based sub-light drives" this is somewhat confusing as "warp" like "hyperdrive" is more often given to FTL drive systems then STL (Slower Then Light) drives. However space warping does get around the issue of relativity at high STL velocities. Aethere Paddle (Fantasy Earth) Long, enchanted staves that require fairly little energy, but are quite slow compared to the other methods on this list, and require constantly repeated efforts of will from multiple oarsmen, though they do not require physical motion. Useful to help steer vessels equipped with aethere sails, and to maneuver them in becalmed conditions. 'Louder' than aethere sails, but 'quieter' than the other methods. Aethere Sail (Clockpunk Earth) Wide, flexible sheets of alchemically-treated material with no moving parts, beyond the need for the sail to be turned or furled/unfurled to control the pseudovelocity and pseudoacceleration. They tap into the solar wind and large gravity wells, which also supply power. 'Quieter' than any other space-warp method, but entirely depended on external sources. Developed on Clockpunk Earth, but very popular with Fantasy/Dungeonpunk Earth. Æther Screw (Steampunk Earth) This design, externally resembling an elongated cone with a number of flanges extending from it (spinning when in use), scales up better than it scales down, and is 'noisy' or 'bright' to sensors capable of perceiving space-warps. Æther Screws have a lower pseudoacceleration (change in pseudovelocity, including manoeuverability) and lower maximum pseudovelocity than Ether Propellers of comparable size. Ether Propeller (Dieselpunk Earth) These machines scale down better than they scale up, and are 'louder' than the Æther Screw. The 'working' section of the device resembles a disc or ring, spinning rapidly around its central axis, and like the Æther Screw is mounted perpendicular to the direction of flight. They have a higher pseudoacceleration and maximum pseudovelocity than Æther Screws, but are not as good for long journeys, due to energy consumption, stress, and maintenance needs. Warp Coil & similar constructions (Infopunk Earth) A spacetime warping device that scales up nearly as well as an Æther Screw, and down nearly as well as an Ether Propeller. The coils tend to be ring-shaped, and are most often lined up in cylindrical nacelles, though smaller numbers of large warp-coils may be used, mounted in ring-shaped nacelles concentric to the hull. Mass for mass and volume for volume, warp coils tend to have a higher pseudoacceleration and maximum pseudovelocity than Ether Propellers, while being better for long journeys than the Æther Screw. Manufacture of this design requires a higher technology base (in particular, faster computers), and the world of the mind that comes with it, than the other space-warping technurgy on this list. Much less 'noisy' than Æther Screws and Ether Propellers, while clearly 'louder' than aethere paddles, and much louder than aethere sails Special Note on Infopunk Earth drives Realistically one can't see DARPA going for Warp Coils in a public manner as in Star Trek they are powered by antimatter. Given the ability of even small amounts to devastate large parts of the countryside/planet DARPA doesn't want John Q. Public messing with that kind of destructive power in their garage. Simply because Steampunk and Dieselpunk/Atompunk have been around for longer and the presence of worlds fitting those themes the semiotic ghost effect of tech derived from those eras would be stronger then that of the TNG and later era (where warp coils come from). Seaview inspired reactors powering Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers/Kaiju like engines would abound. Some would go the Spaceship Yamato route and convert already existing atomically powered ships into spaceships. FTL issues While there are viable ways around the light barrier the ability to actual realize them don't exist. References Category:Fan Settings